Not Applicable
Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bushings for insertion into holes in a structural member, such as a metal wall stud, to protect electrical wires that pass through that hole.
2. Description of the Related Art
In many instances, metal studs are being used in the walls of buildings instead of conventional wooden studs. The metal studs are fabricated by bending sheet metal to form an elongated member having a xe2x80x9cCxe2x80x9d shaped cross section. Holes are punched in the wide side of the metal stud to allow wires and pipes to be run within the wall. The relatively thin edge of these holes can abrade and cut the insulation of the wires and cables being pulled through the studs during installation and in several cases damage to the metal conductors of the cable can occur. As a consequence, electricians have to exert extreme care when installing wires through metal studs.
As a solution to this problem, bushings have been devised which are placed into the respective openings in the metal studs and then the wires and cables are run through the bushing. Such bushings are fabricated of rubber or plastic and have surfaces against which the wires may rub with negligible abrasion. As a consequence, the bushings protect the wires both during installation and thereafter.
It is desirable that such bushings be easy and quick so that the labor required to install electrical wires and cables is not increased significantly. In this regard, it is therefore desirable that the bushing be fabricated as a single piece to eliminate the need for the electrician to locate multiple components and then assemble them in the hole of the stud. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,596,177 discloses a single piece bushing in which a backing flange is attached to a mating face flange by a strap. However, this type of bushing requires that the aperture in the stud be large enough to enable the backing flange to pass there through so that the face and backing flange ultimately are at opposite sides of the stud aperture when the bushing is fully assembled.
A bushing for a hole in a structural member, such as a metal stud, includes a flange which is larger in at least one dimension than the hole. The flange has an aperture there through and a plurality of tabs are connected to the flange at locations around the aperture. The tabs are bendable between a first position in which the plurality of tabs is able to enter the hole in the structural member and a second position in which the plurality of tabs retains the bushing in the hole.
When the bushing is installed, the plurality of tabs are inserted into the hole with the flange abutting a surface on one side of the structural member. The plurality of tabs are then bent to flare outward on the opposite side of the structural member. In the preferred embodiment, the bushing has a latching mechanism attached to the flange which maintains the plurality of tabs in the bent second position.